The passing of a friend and devoted companion.
The 16th of July will now always be a poignant date on my calendar, for on that day this year my devoted canine companion Mungu passed away. He would have been 11 in September, a fair age for a Rhodesian Ridgeback, but the expected is so often unexpected when it happens.
 
I had celebrated my own birthday barely two days before and he had been in bounding rude health on that occasion. Having to attend a meeting the following day, whilst Jan and Justin busied themselves with Lotte Rose’s ‘Hot Mix’ course, I left him and young Mick to hold the fort at home. Upon my return later in the day he greeted me as affectionately and boisterously as ever. Yet, two hours later he was obviously quite unwell. I stayed up with him throughout the night. The following morning he seemed to have rallied, but I called the vet all the same. Sadly, he died before I could get him to the surgery.

Mung was without doubt the finest dog that I have ever owned. He was a devoted friend for more than a decade, and I rarely moved without him being close behind. Strangely, his mood always reflected my own. It was a sad day indeed when he was banned from the office, as he had bitten the landlady when she came to collect the rent cheque. Odd, because he never bit another. In truth, his absence from beneath my desk was probably partly responsible for my semi-retirement. I enjoyed his company too much. The advent of Mick, Jan’s Glen of Imaal terrier, changed his temperament not one jot and he quickly took the young whippersnapper beneath his wing. Needless to say, I shall miss him greatly but, young Mick, who touchingly shares my grief, is doing all he can to fill the void. I think that he may succeed. Rest in peace old friend, for you have taught him well.

Animal rights.
I like to think that Mung had a pretty good life, because under the new Animal Welfare Act I could be sent to prison if he had had an unhappy time, which beggars the question if it is right to keep pets at all, albeit that God created man in his own image and gave him control over the animals, which placed man in a special position above and apart from other creatures, as they were regarded as having been provided for his benefit. Still, today, pet owners are more and more treating their pets as humans, buying them the same sort of clothes and accessories as they would if the animals were family members. Bizarre!

Nevertheless, if we really do see pets almost as little people, with personalities, feelings and needs, should we not be more respectful of their rights? In other words, if we ourselves would not care to become the playthings of a higher species, should we really be keeping sentient animals in captivity and treating them as our personal property for no other purpose than our own amusement and pleasure?

Certainly, since the discoveries of Charles Darwin, it became less easy to argue that humans were a breed apart, and the decoding of the human genome has confirmed that we share many of our genes with other animals. Also research has shown that many animals have much more complex mental and emotional lives than we once thought. 

It is undoubtedly a very complex question which, after reflecting on more than 60 years pet ownership of the ordinary and extraordinary, I cannot really answer. I would like to think that my dogs and parrots, knowing no other life, have enjoyed my company, but I cannot vouch for the feelings of my more unusual pets. Still, my terrapins, which I have had for more than 20 years, still seem to greet me with genuine affection every morning. Perhaps, more by luck than good judgment, I have simply respected those animal rights which are now determined by the law.

The new Act requires pet owners not only to give their animals a suitable environment, a suitable diet and protection from injury or disease, but also to meet their emotional needs, including their desire to “exhibit normal behaviour patterns” and be “housed with, or apart from, other animals”. Failure to do so will incur severe punishments, including a ban on pet ownership, a fine of up to £20,000 and/or a spell in prison.

Nonetheless, there are still some who continue to say that pet ownership is inherently immoral because it cannot be morally justified, irrespective of how well the animals are tended. Gary Francione, a law professor specialising in animal rights at Rutgers University, maintains that “Domestic animals are neither part of our world nor the animal world. They exist for ever in a netherworld of vulnerability, dependent on us for everything they need.”

Meanwhile, in the US, the changing status of animals, particularly pets, has given rise to a new vocabulary to redefine their relationship with humans. In some circles, humans and animals are now referred to as human and non-human animals to reduce the distinction between the two, while the word “pet” is giving way to “companion animal”, suggesting almost a relationship of equals. The state of Rhode Island and at least seven cities, including San Francisco, have legally redefined pet owners as pet guardians, making their animals sound less like pieces of property and more like wards entitled to a degree of autonomy and self-determination.

That said, I am off shopping with my non-human animal companion but I doubt that they will let him graze upon the supermarket tasty freebies, which is a normal human behaviour pattern that I have observed. Is there so much difference between human and non-human animals that my pooch should be denied a free meal?!

Candle fragrances.
For those attending the forthcoming Candle Making courses of Gill Farrer-Halls, and even for those who are not, there are some interesting tips on candle fragrances by Robert Siegel in a recent edition of Perfumer & Flavorist [visit www.PerfumerFlavorist.com/articles to purchase a copy of the article ‘Creating a Winning Candle Fragrance’].

Astonishingly, to me at least, a recent Euromonitor report on American Air Care (is that what they call it?!) revealed that sales of candle air fresheners jumped 30% between 2004 and 2005 - more than any other category - to £140m! No wonder the demand for candle fragrances is on the up, but the high cost of many essential oils and absolutes precludes their use in candle air fresheners and, therefore, perfumers have to seek cheaper alternatives.

Above all, candles, whatever their application, must have high-impact scents if they are to attract consumers who base their purchase decisions on the smell of the candle straight off the shelf. This impact, apparently, is known as “cold throw”, which is a new term to me.

Obviously, for our purposes, we would like the fragances to be as natural as possible, but I do detect that some resort to synthetics to increase cold throw. But surely some essential oils are still comparatively cheap and, therefore, would it not be better to substitute lavender oil with lavandin, or a mix of both, rather than opt for lavender fragrance. Similarly, patchouli can be diluted with guaiacwood and cedarwood to reduce the cost. Whilst mandarin undoubtedly has an unique accord, might not sweet orange suit just as well in a candle?

All the same, however delightful the fragrance, it must be compatible with the candle wax. The fragrance can also affect the candle in other ways. There are problems of discoloration, wick compatibility, flash point, burn rate and flame throw to deal with. However, these can often be solved with a combination of solvents, such as benzyl benzoate, diethyl phthalate, dioctyl adipate, dipropylene glycol, hercolyn D, etc., based on wax properties and fragrance characteristics.

Solvents, applied in various proportions, can also assist a candle’s “warm throw”, which is how a candle performs when burning. A candle needs to burn at an even rate, without welling (caused by burning too fast) or sooting. Spicy and heavy floral fragrances will generally burn slower, while lighter, fruitier fragrances will burn quickly.

Of course, type of wax is another major consideration. In recent times, the use of soy-based waxes has become increasingly popular, because they are obtained from natural sources, but they are not without their problems. Although they are generally cleaner burning, and a less expensive alternative to paraffin waxes, fragrances do not diffuse as well in soy wax as in paraffin wax. Soy waxes are made of large, nonvolatile molecules such as triglycerides and fatty acids that do not mix as well and can “trap” volatile fragrance components. In general, the more homogenuous a fragrance is with the wax, be it soy or paraffin, the better the candle will burn and smell.

When it comes to adding fragrance to melted candle wax, it has been observed that using a lower temperature when melting wax (just above melting point) will assist the fragrance cold throw in soy candles. Also, in paraffin waxes, certain speciality waxes or polymers can be added along with the fragrance, which allows the candle to support higher fragrance levels.

Still, I have no idea whatsoever how relevant all this is to scented candle making, as I suspect that it refers more to air fresheners which, by the way, continue to meet stiff competition from scented candles, as scented candles tend to have greater aesthetic appeal for many. What is more, although scented candles rarely claim to reduce odours, they are in fact adequate for odour masking in the home.

Whatever, I hope that this has whetted your appetite to find out more, because the scented candles that Gill has sent me smell pretty good. Obviously, she has many hints to pass on.

Book now, before it’s too late!

Old fears confirmed.
Years ago, when the safety of essential oils first came under scrutiny by bureaucracy, I argued volubly that the safety record of essential oils was impeccable when compared with that of paracetamol, which is ingested by all and sundry, without restriction, at the first hint of pain.

In fact, I produced some Home Office statistics about paracetamol-related incidents which made most disturbing reading, but they were quickly swept aside. However, almost 20 years later, it seems that some are now coming to their senses.

Paracetamol is one of the world’s most popular painkillers - and yet, it is also far more lethal than the millions who take it realize. Every year, it kills around 450 people in the US and 120 individuals in the UK [WDDTY, Vol. 18, No. 3, p. 17]. Therefore, you can perhaps appreciate my original indignation. How many deaths have essential oils caused over the years?

The United States drug regulatory agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is so concerned by this fact that it is now considering restricting the drug’s availabilty, an action that has already been taken in Ireland. In that country, it is illegal to buy more than 24 tablets, or 500mg in total, in a single transaction. Despite this, this popular painkiller was responsible for nearly a third of the 7933 drug overdoses recorded in Ireland in 2004. Think about it!

The drug can become dangerous at even relatively low dosages, and can cause serious - and sometimes fatal - liver damage [Lancet, 2007; 369: 1346].

Another major culprit is codeine phosphate, which was the remedy for every ailment when I was at school: “Take a couple of codeine”, was always Matron’s advice. It’s a wonder I’m not a drug addict! 

Codeine phosphate is derived from either opium or morphine and in most countries, including here, it is now only available on prescription. Nevertheless, it is still freely available as an ingredient in other popular over-the-counter preparations such as aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Although it’s not certain how many people are actually abusing codeine-containing drugs, one Web service is helping 4000 people who admit to being addicted to Solpadeine, which combines codeine with paracetamol. [BMJ, 2007; 334: 917-8]. Was not this drug portrayed in TV advertising years ago as having a shotgun effect? No wonder, it blows your head off!

If that isn’t enough to make you stick to natural remedies, Dopamine-agonist drugs seem to have a very strange effect on people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease: it turns them into compulsive gamblers!

More than 7 per cent of Parkinson’s sufferers who take the drugs develop the compulsion, a problem that otherwise afflicts only 1 per cent of the general population. But gambling isn’t the only form of compulsive behaviour triggered by these drugs. Patients are also almost as likely to become compulsive shoppers or hypersexual - addicted to sex! Gordon Bennett!

The expletive explained.
Gordon Bennett! A mild expletive, equivalent to saying ‘Oh God’: indeed ‘Gawd and St. Bennet’ has been suggested as the derivation of the phrase. However, it seems more likely that the Gordon Bennett in question was an American, James Gordon Bennett (1841-1918), the editor-in-chief of the New York Herald, who was responsible for sending Henry Stanley to find David Livingstone in Africa (he was the son of the paper’s founder who had the same name).

The son also gave his name to a motor race held in France in the early 1900s, where he lived as an exile after a scandal in America (according to some, he had relieved himself in a grand piano at his engagement party!).

He lived in flamboyant style and is described in the Dictionary of American Biography as “one of the most picturesque figures of two continents”. There is a street named Avenue Gordon-Bennett in Paris.

Clearly this extrovert and extravagant man’s name was well known; it is therefore not unlikely that the similarity in sound between ‘Gordon’ and ‘Oh Gawd’ became a convenient circumlocution in an age in which blasphemy, however mild, was socially unacceptable.

A question of perfume.
Recently, Marlene Plimley sent me a report of an office worker in Detroit who is suing for her colleagues to be banned from wearing perfume which gives her such severe headaches, nausea and coughing fits that she must leave work. Her sensitivity is such that she avoids the detergent sections in shops and cannot sit near perfumed people in a cinema or on the bus. She is claiming unspecified damages for “pain, suffering, humiliation and outrage” suffered.

Of course this could only happen in the United States, or could it? Smoking has been banned in the workplace here, and so why not perfume? 

Marlene wonders if it is the ‘nature identicals’, that is simulated fragrances or chemicals, in perfumes that is upsetting the lady in Detroit. Marlene herself had to request a change of seat when travelling in an aeroplane last year, because a previous passenger had sprayed perfume over the wall which made her feel sick and gave her a headache. Marlene works with natural aromas, and finds that ‘fake’ ones can become very intolerable.

Certainly, increasing concern with what we are ingesting internally and applying topically is leading us to adopt a more holistic approach to personal health and the welfare of the planet. Natural and organic products are now viewed as safer, more efficacious and Earth-friendly than others, but this is not a new phenomenon. Some companies have been catering for the needs of “eco” people for more than forty years, but “eco” business is now big business and so all must sit up and take notice. But what is “natural”? Are there regulations for calling a product “natural”? There are national standards regarding use of the term “organic”, but I have always doubted if it can honestly be applied to personal care products. In fact, the FDA at one point issued a short-term ban on the use of “organic” for personal care. In reality, it all probably comes down to the integrity of the manufacturer.

Undoubtedly, consumers believe that natural personal care products are safer than those that contain synthetics; will maintain and improve one’s health; and are safer to use in the long term and have fewer side effects. But how easy is it to manufacture “all natural” perfumes?

A natural smelling fragrance needs to reflect a perception of naturalness that fits the image of a consumer who is concerned with wellness. To make an orange-scented perfume, you may think that orange oil is enough, but it would lack the sweet nuance that is de rigueur today. Normally, in a coventional fragrance, adding sweetness would not be a problem - a dash of vanillin or ethyl vanillin, heliotropine or coumarin. But, for a natural perfume, it will require instead vanilla absolute and tonka bean, which are not that cheap.

For fragrance manufacture, the cost of raw materials is critical, which is driving essential oil suppliers to ‘stretch’ their stocks. Therefore, it is difficult to find essential oils that accurately represent the aroma of what the true oil should smell like. The “perfumery grade” has come to mean a lower quality essential oil; one has to go to pure and natural or organic grade to find a great aroma, but the cost is prohibitive. In a trend that is diametrically opposed to the demand for natural fragrances, some essential oils are already starting to disappear from the market. I believe that juniper berry is now quite scarce, for example.

Furthermore, regulation has added greatly to the difficulty of manufacturing natural perfumes. The identification of 26 potential allergens, which need to be listed on the product’s label, has eliminated a whole range of essential oils from the perfumer’s palette, because manufacturers of natural products don’t want to list allergens like linalool and citral on the label of a product that claims to be natural. Remember that even if the potential allergen is a natural constituent of the oil, it needs to be listed.
  
Of course, great fragrances can be created using only naturals, as has been done since the dawn of perfumery, but they are expensive and will probably remain the preserve of the wealthy, unless you make your own!  

Nevertheless, I suspect that perfume, be it all natural, wholly synthetic, or a blend of both,  will always be chemically sensitive to some. Is this sufficient cause to ban it in the office? Apparently a jury in Detroit will decide for Ms. McBride, but what do you think?

Worth considering.
According to Professor Basant Puri, a senior scientist at Imperial College and consultant at London’s Hammersmith Hospital, there is good evidence that essential fatty acids (EFAs) are as effective as antidepressants, and may also assist in ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome).

Looking at depression, international cross country studies reveal a link between increased fish consumption and annual incidence of depression, including seasonal and specific depresssion (e.g. postpartum), he said. Noting that linoleic acid and alpha linoleic acid (LA and ALA) are important in the production of prostaglandins, which are essential for tissue and cellular well- being, Professor Puri believes that there is clinical evidence that improvements in the severity of a depressive episode could be seen in as little as two weeks.

As for ME or CFS, there is some evidence that EFAs can produce an improvement after one month.

An interesting phenomenon.
Living in a 400-year-old house is undoubtedly aesthetically pleasing, but the low ceilings do restrict natural light and, therefore, on duller days, of which there seem to have been several recently, I have to depend upon artificial illumination. However, in an endeavour to conserve energy, I have installed low-energy light-bulbs above my favourite chairs.

Then, just the other day, when flicking through a journal, I happened across a reader’s letter, headed ‘Beware of low-energy bulbs’.

Mrs. Kearney’s husband had proudly installed one of these low-energy items above the dining room table, where she sits to read and write, and shortly afterwards one of her knees became very stiff and painful. After much pondering, she wondered if it might be the light-bulb. She moved the bulb to the next room, and within two to three weeks she had a pain-free knee.

I am fascinated to know what brought her to this conclusion in the first place.

However, at the same time, her husband’s right shoulder began to play up - the shoulder nearest the low-energy light-bulb above his favourite chair. Yet again, there was a swift recovery when he replaced the bulb.

She then advised an elderly friend to remove the two low-energy bulbs in her living room, and, now, her swollen, painful wrists (her GP suspected rheumatoid arthritis) are completely cured!

Coincidentally, I had only mentioned to Jan yesterday that one of my fingers had become  stiff and sore, citing the inclement weather as the probable cause but now I am not so sure! Do others have similar tales to tell?

Vindication!
I have always liked pouring kirsch (brandy distilled from the fermented juice of cherries) over my strawberries, but have always felt a little guilty about it because many automatically think I’m an alcoholic! Little do they know, for years ago I used to process strawberries, which we placed in vats of sherry to keep them fresh.

Consuming strawberries in an alcoholic cocktail can make it even healthier according to a recent study. The research, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, finds that having them in an alcoholic drink boosts their antioxidant properties.

The researchers from Kasetsart University in Thailand and the US Department of Agriculture Research Service, were looking for more effective ways of keeping fruit fresh during storage. They found that treating strawberries with alcohol enhanced the antioxidant capacity within the fruit by a third. Ah well! Is there nothing new? Perhaps......

Elephant dung stationery!
Another first for 2007 is The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company Ltd.’s new range of stationery and gift products.

With an  apparent novel marketing angle, the range is 100% recycled (and odourless, thank goodness) and is made from ‘naturally dried elephant dung’ with natural fibres from banana trees and pineapples added for strength. The mind boggles!

Distributed in the UK by Natures World (you will have to Google them yourself, because my system has just be struck by lightning, and I do not jest), a percentage of the profits from each purchase is contributed to elephant welfare and conservation programmes.

Finally........
I must stop now, as the flashing blue lights of fire-engines across the green are disrupting my thought. They are pumping out as fast as they can, whilst the callous torrent continues to fall. July?!



charles@essentiallyoils.com

previous     next